Frank Taylor's fish and chip shop in Adam and Eve Street, Market Harborough, said the 1981 edition of Travellers' Britain, was the second oldest in the world. I don't know where they got that from, and it didn't do the best chips in town, but it is remembered today by this ghost sign. The building is now occupied by the excellent Duncan Murray Wines and Wine Bar.

Let's say we get our way and there is a second referendum on Brexit. Could we win it? Maybe not, because so far we do not have appeared to have learnt the lesson of Remain's defeat in the first one. All we have done so far is to turn Project Fear up to 11. A couple of years ago I wrote a post that cited various pieces of psychology research and concluded: The implication of all this, I suspect, is that if we want to persuade people who are tempted to vote Leave to vote Remain, we should frame our ...

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 516th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the five most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (6-12 May, 2018), together with a hand-picked seven you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. How Brexit helped the Lib Dems take ...

My tactic of getting off the bus at the first stop in a small town or village and walking into the centre paid off at Brigstock because I found St Andrew's by following a path beside a stream. It is not Brixworth, but it is still a fine church with Saxon remains and a similar circular stair tower. You can read all about the architecture in its Grade 1 Listing. Inside (besides the monument to a Liberal cabinet minister) there is a carved wood screen that is said to have come from Pipewell Abbey. Outside in the churchyard there is ...

I was amazed to hear a spokesman for Keir tell BBC Radio Shropshire last week that the winter just past was "one of the worst in living memory." Nonsense. It doesn't compare with 2009/10, which was the coldest winter since 1979. I remember both. We didn't get as many potholes in 2010. That was because our roads were in a better condition. Now far too many of Shropshire's roads are at the point of catastrophic failure because of constant budget cuts. It only takes a spell of nasty weather, and that's normal in this part of the world, for potholes ...

Second para of third chapter: "What is wrong with this silly girl?" he muttered as Sunny leaned against the Jeep with her arm on the warm door. She didn't need to worry about dirt. As always, it was spotless. Sunny suspected he paid some of the younger boys in the neighborhood to wash it often. Chukwu had gotten the Jeep three weeks ago, and he would take it with him to the University of Port Harcourt in five days. The second of the YA finalists for me, a rollicking tale of 13-year-old Sunny, who is an albino Nigerian and also ...

Lord Snooty, or Jacob Rees-Mogg as he is now known, would be appalled at this article. Perhaps that is a good reason for reading it! Every year when the Times Rich list comes I always ask myself the same question, ... Continue reading →

It's become something of a tradition for the Lib Dem Press Office to offer a bit of a random and amusing commentary as Eurovision unfolds. Here are some of the highlights: One country making Brexiteer level of promise: If you include a horse in the trailer video, you have to deliver in the live show Ukraine. #Eurovision #GoingForTheTwilightVote — Lib Dem Press Office (@LibDemPress) May 12, 2018 They don't seem to have had quite as much to drink as in previous years. Meanwhile, there is one very sore head in LDV Towers this morning. The rules of the party the ...

First, Let's Fire All the Managers 38 degrees petition: Allow trafficked teen 'Stephen' to stay in UK Best .gif I've ever seen Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot can now chase you through the woods If you like what you see here (or even if you don't) please consider dropping me a tip: [IMG: Paypal Donate Button] [IMG: Buy Me an uncaffeinated beverage (because I'm allergic to coffee) at ko-fi.com] [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments

On Friday evening, the Whickham and Swalwell Music Society had a pub quiz at the Bay Horse in Whickham to raise funds. My brother Andrew suggested we attend. Since our record in pub quiz music rounds is catastrophic, I had my doubts. We went anyway. We came 4th out of 10 but won vodka, gin and chocolates. So not so catastrophic after all!

Now that the local election are (nearly) over, it's worth remembering the good housekeeping tasks which wrap up the contest properly and help get the next campaign off to a good start: Get the election expense returns in on time. Even if you did nothing in a campaign beyond nominating a candidate, the paperwork still needs completing and returning. Recycle left-over leaflets and securely dispose of any left-over personally addressed literature. Top-tip: have at least two of you do this and take photos before doing so as there are rules about excluding undelivered literature from election expenses. It's therefore always ...

Career Opportunities was a track on The Clash's eponymous first LP from 1977. But not this version. The singers here are Luke and Ben Gallagher, the young sons of the keyboard player Mickey Gallagher, who played on the 1980 LP Sandanista! where it appears. Mickey Gallagher was best known as a member of Ian Drury's Blockheads. I saw him playing with the The Animals and Friends with Spencer Davis when they played Market Harborough leisure centre. You can see him playing keyboards below.

Sat, 12:56: RT @BelfastAgmt: Just perfect 👌 Outstanding work from @MarkCarruthers7 and @bbctheview https://t.co/4BtakjfqGd Sat, 18:43: Doctor Who: The Official Annual 2010 https://t.co/ckBdSG2SQ7 Sat, 20:48: RT @TrevorLess: a wee Moet a wee Moet a wee Moet a wee Moet a wee Moet in the jungle the mighty jungle https://t.co/2tcf5FyC0S Sat, 21:01: OK, here goes #Eurovision. I have not watched a single preview and my only research was a brief check of Wikipedia... https://t.co/GOFtalWukk Sat, 21:02: RT @pickwick: Yep, I'm doing Eurovision, mute if you must (but honestly if you don't want to hear about Eurovision I don't know why you're... ...

I am incredibly excited to have been selected as the @LibDems candidate #Lewisham East by-election. I can't wait to get on the campaign trail in my home town!#LibDemFightback https://t.co/bryuK3xxz2 — Lucy V. Salek #FBPE (@lucyvsalek) May 12, 2018 Lucy Salek is getting on with her campaign for Lewisham East after being selected by local Lib Dem members last night, just 3 days after the by-election was called. Labour's defence of the seat has not got off to the most harmonious start as there has been a row over the NEC's decision to control their selection. They will not announce their ...

I'm hearing that Maghull TC and Sefton MBC are tussling once again over the issue of car parking spaces around the Leisure Centre and Town Hall. If this is indeed the case it is yet another chapter in a very long running saga as the success of the Leisure Centre has always meant that the car parking provision, as originally planned for back in 2010 when the Centre opened, is inadequate. Maghull's KGV Park and Meadows Leisure Centre When I led the campaign for the Leisure Centre to be built I always had a feeling that it would take off ...

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - SUNDAY 13 MAY 2018 Riverside Drive (at Tesco) - eastbound convoy system on Sunday 13 May for Scottish Water manhole repair. REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 14 MAY 2018 South Union Street/South Marketgait at Dundee Railway Station - northbound nearside lane closure from 9.30am for 7 weeks for footway works. Lochee Road (at Polepark Road) - lane restrictions from Tuesday 15 May for up to one week for water main repair.